English

Relative Facts of Relational Quantum Mechanics are Incompatible with Quantum Mechanics

Quantum Physics 2023-05-24 v2

Abstract

Relational Quantum Mechanics (RQM) claims to be an interpretation of quantum theory [see arXiv:2109.09170, which appears in the Oxford Handbook of the History of Interpretation of Quantum Physics]. However, there are significant departures from quantum theory: (i) in RQM measurement outcomes arise from interactions which entangle a system SS and an observer AA without decoherence, and (ii) such an outcome is a "fact" relative to the observer AA, but it is not a fact relative to another observer BB who has not interacted with SS or AA during the foregoing measurement process. For BB the system SAS \otimes A remains entangled. We derive a GHZ-like contradiction showing that relative facts described by these statements are incompatible with quantum theory. Hence Relational Quantum Mechanics should not be considered an interpretation of quantum theory, according to a criterion for interpretations that we have introduced. The criterion states that whenever an interpretation introduces a notion of outcomes, these outcomes, whatever they are, must follow the probability distribution specified by the Born rule.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2208.11793,
  title  = {Relative Facts of Relational Quantum Mechanics are Incompatible with Quantum Mechanics},
  author = {Jay Lawrence and Marcin Markiewicz and Marek Żukowski},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2208.11793},
  year   = {2023}
}

Comments

12 pages, 1 figure